Would you expect Kim Kardashian to create anything that isn't beige? Every Kim-related company, including shapewear imprint SKIMS and skincare brand SKKN, dabbles deeply with earth tones and it oughta be no shock that her new collaboration with Apple's Beats headphone line is available in various shades of brown.
No complaints here, by the way. Earth tones are always a good look for everything from athleisure to footwear, so this isn't a snipe.
If anything, we're celebrating Kim's refined, semi-fleshy palette.
Kim's Beats Fit Pro collab comes in three colors that sound pretty similar on paper: Moon, Dune, and Earth, which go from light to dark, respectively.
The usual tech is included, like spatial audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes, so the only real shift is in the earbud colors.
Perhaps that's why Beats by Kim only costs about $20 more than the normal models.
Whereas a conventional pair of Beats Fit Pro buds will run you $179, Kim's Beats collab will run $199.99 per pair when it launches on Apple's website August 16 and in-store the following day.
Here, it's worth reflecting on the beige-ification of Kim, which can almost certainly be attributed to ex-husband Kanye West.
West dressed Kim in the earthy palette he perfected with YEEZY SEASON collections.
Though she eventually evolved her wardrobe beyond the muddy YEEZY tones, Kim's personal brand is forever entwined with beige by her own design.
SKIMS' apparel, even including its Fendi collab, and SKKN's packaging is beige to the nth degree, which makes the Kim Kardashian brands feel complementary, fluid, unified.
Getting dressed and putting on makeup is that much easier when it all innately matches. That uniform ease is a big part of what Kim sells nowadays, Beats included.
The funny thing is that though this formula — alongside some other tricks — has made Kim very wealthy indeed, she has a different take on the beige allure.
“I wanted to break away from the idea that headphones have to be colorful to make a statement,” said Kim of her Beats buds. “This collaboration is special because it allows you to blend in or stand out, and Beats is known for creating products that showcase individuality.”
Certainly, Beats by Kim will help wearers blend in, but stand out? The whole point of SKIMS, SKKN, and all the rest of Kim's empire is to embody shapeless beige neutrality.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, but strange to see Kim reframe her branding as individualistic when that's never really been her oeuvre.
